My Charmed Life
by Sir Matthew Siege Maximarian
Summary: This is a recollection of my life with the Charmed ones. All in due time.
1. All Hell Breaks Loose

My Charmed Life

Ch.1 – All Hell Breaks Loose

**This is the true recounting of my life.**

I sat in my room with the TV on my favorite show, Charmed. It was a midsummer's day in the year 2012, and, as the city outcast, I shied away from the daily doings of other people; Instead, I was watching my favorite series of episodes: All Hell Breaks Loose and Charmed Again Parts 1&2 - I had the box set, so it didn't matter what was on the actual television channels. It was at the part where that blonde girl broke into the manor, and Prue was about to push her out of the manor when something strange happened: "I wish I could be in that world," I sighed.

As a practicing witch in this, our world, I understood how magick worked, and I was aware that it wasn't like it is in Charmed, yet, before my very eyes, the world shifted. Now, I lived in Southern California with my mother, father, and brother, so you could only imagine my confusion when I found myself standing in the Halliwell Manor in Central San Franisco, and I watched Prue fling her hand and throw the woman out of her sacred home. Later, I was told by Prue and Piper that what they saw was a gathering of white lights in the center of their foyer following which I, an overweight 18 year old recluse materialized, or orbed, as they thought at the time, into their lives.

That is the premise of this tale, and that is why I am writing this, but to wholly understand what happened, the reader will need many more chapters and a greater background into my life. Let's start with my history, as that is easier and more accessible than the many chapters later in which Leo will explain what happened. I have mentioned how I was a recluse, how I shied away from people because I didn't like them. Well that's only half true, see they didn't like me either.

Now, I know some of you will say, "Oh everyone thinks they're disliked at some point in life," Well, to you I say grab your fancy coffee and return to your privileged life of promiscuity and popularity. I do not only _believe_ I was _disliked_, but I have proof that I was hated: I am gay. I always have been, and that was the basis on which my torment was often founded. One common example springs to mind, and that's the walk home from school. Every day I'd walk home from school, and every day I'd be met with ridicule and shouts of, "There goes the faggot!" And, on the days I was particularly lucky, I'd be chastised by the local preacher rather than beaten by the local bullies.

One such bully was my very own brother, and they say blood is thicker than water. He and his friends took particular delight in tormenting me, especially physically. Their physical prowess was admirable if nothing else, and they reminded me of that daily. Who needs a punching bag when you have a wimpy younger "faggot" that won't stand up for himself? I almost applaud their creativity if it were only actually creative.

I used to believe I was cursed; I thought that I was being punished for being such a sinner; it wasn't true, of course, and I'd come to realize that, but for the majority of my life I lacked the ability to make friends, and most everyone thought me to be an abomination, so my fears were well-founded.

Knowing that, one might be able to comprehend my desire to escape, my absolute need to be free of this world. It was because of this that I turned to Paganism. I found spirits and guardians that kept me company and protected me to the best of their abilities. One time, my dragon spirit warned me that my brother was coming home, and he was in a particularly foul mood. My dragon guided me through the back and away, and he wouldn't let me go home until my parents got home because at least then my brother wouldn't hit me.

Anyway, that's most of my sad story, so I appeared in the Halliwell mansion as Prue pushed that girl out. Piper panicked and threw up her hands (Leo and Darryl froze, but I did not), and I heard Piper's voice say, "Why isn't he frozen?" but her lips did not move.

"Whoah," I said, and I looked around myself.

Prue asked, "Who the hell are you!?"

I turned to them, "Am I hallucinating?"

"Not unless we are too," Piper answered.

Prue raised her hand, "Wait!" I shouted, "I didn't freeze, that means I'm a good witch, right?"

Piper tapped Prue's shoulder, "He's right," she whispered, but I heard her loud and clear.

"Alright," Prue kept her hand raised, "so who are you?"

"I'm Jeremy," I said, then I heard Prue ask how I got here before she actually asked, "I'm not sure how I got here," She gave me a peculiar look, "Hang on let this sink in for a minute."

"Let what sink in?" Prue asked.

"I'm just not used to," I paused and spun around the room, "this! Any of this; I thought you were just a T.V. show."

"What?" Piper asked.

Leo and Darryl unfroze, and Darryl pointed his gun at me; Leo moved quickly to Piper's side, "Who is this?" He asked.

"Not sure yet," Piper said.

Darryl's thoughts were racing about how to deal with me, and that's when I realized I had the power to read minds. I smiled absent-mindedly at this, and Darryl was not pleased by this. He thought, rather ferociously, "What is he smiling at!?"

"I'm sorry," I said, "I just learned that I can read minds."

"Just learned?" Leo asked, "What's going on?"

"Okay," Prue interrupted, "you," she pointed at Leo, "go check with the Elders and see if he could be from a different existence, or parallel universe, or something," Leo looked as though he were going to protest, "Go, go, go!" Leo frowned and orbed out, "You," She turned on Darryl, "lower your gun, and let us deal with him. Go back outside and deal with the rioters."

"Are you sure?" Darryl asked as he lowered his weapon.

"Yes," Prue said, "just go."

Darryl left and I could hear Prue and Piper thinking all the questions they wanted to know about me, "I will answer everything to the best of my ability," I said, "but not now. If I'm right, Phoebe is in the underworld trying to save Cole, and you guys need to contact her?"

"How did you know-?" Prue started to ask.

"I'm from a world where you guys are a T.V. show," I surmised, "I've seen every episode multiple times, and I've got the majority of this chunk of the series memorized."

"Don't you ever get out of the house?" Piper thought.

I smiled at her, "No, I don't."

"Hey," She said, "keep out of my head!"

"Sorry," I replied, "I don't yet have control over that."

"So are you just hearing everything we think?" Prue asked.

"Everything," I replied, "but I'm trying to ignore it, and it's proving rather difficult, but it's also totally irrelevant because when time reverses you won't remember any of this and I'll have to explain it all again anyway."

"When time reverses?" Prue asked.

"Yeah," I said, "That's what Leo came down to explain, that the only way to fix all of this," I motioned to the outside, "is to reverse time to when it all went wrong by way of Tempest."

"That's a long shot," Piper said.

"Yeah," Prue scoffed, "we vanquished him two years ago."

"Curious, this all should have happened before that woman person broke in," I mused, "No, you didn't. You only defeated him, but reversing time now will vanquish him because he hasn't fully recovered from the time loop with you guys, but the Source will get him to do it."

"The Source?" Piper gasped, "Is he here?"

"He's in the area yes," I said.

"With Phoebe?" Prue asked, "We have to get her out of there."

"No," I said quickly, "I think, if we do this right, all three of you can survive this time."

"This time?" Piper asked.

"In the show, Charmed, from my world," I explained, "Prue, played by Shannen Doherty-"

"Ooo," Prue smiled, "I'm played by Shannen Doherty?"

"Who plays me?" Piper asked.

"Is that really what's important here?" Though I didn't really have to ask, as I knew they didn't think it was, but I indulged them anyway, "Holly Marie Combs," I answered much to Piper's delight, "Anyway, Shannen Doherty, though a spectacular actress, is kind of a bitch-"

"Hey!" Prue shouted and Piper snickered.

"Well really," I said, "think about it, she's kind of a terrible person, and no one likes working with her. She's a great actress though, but I digress; so Shannen Doherty was fired from the show."

"So they killed me off," Prue understood.

"Oh my God," Piper covered her mouth, "Well how do we fix it?"

"Send me to Phoebe," I said, "She's going to make a deal with the Source and stay down there for all eternity to get the Source to make Tempest reverse time, thus saving Piper's life," They looked at me confused, "Yeah, you're going to die in this timeline, but it's okay because you won't remember any of it, and we'll save you no matter what happens. If it's really written in the stars for you to die," I said to Prue, "then I apologize, but I know what's going to happen down there, and if you just trust me, I'll save all of you."

Piper looked at Prue, "I don't want to die," She concluded.

"And I don't want you to die," Prue agreed, "Alright, well it doesn't seem like we have another choice, but don't think for a minute that this means we trust you."

"I don't, not yet anyway," I answered, "I figure once I save your lives you might at least believe part of what I say."

_"We'll see," _Prue thought.

"Well then I can only hope," I smiled at her as she squinted at me, "Careful," I said, "I don't really want to be tossed across the room."

"We should wait for Leo," Piper said, "He'll have more information for us."

"I whole-heartedly agree," I said.

Leo orbed in about an hour later, during which I commented on the differences in time when watching a show rather than living it, Piper fed me, and Prue probed me about my life. There wasn't much to tell beyond what I've already explained, so I'll just skip over that sequence.

"He's definitely for real," Leo said, "They're concerned about how you got here."

"As am I," I responded, "and if they come up with a solution, be sure to let me know. In the meantime," I rose to my feet, we were in the kitchen at this point, "I suggest you orb me underground."

Leo looked to Piper, and she nodded at him. He held out his hand, "Well hold on."

"Oh goodie," I smiled, "I've always envied the power to orb," We were engulfed by white lights, and then I felt my body fall apart, but there was no pain; in fact, it felt uplifting, wonderful. As we went I could feel Leo's thoughts, but in a completely different way than when I was hearing everyone's thoughts in the Manor. He was explaining, without words, that when you orb with another person, the orbs meld you together sort of. You become a single being with two consciousnesses, and it was at this point that he wholly believed me, and I wondered why he didn't just use this power to test all the things people said, which he explained as something to do with the grand design and rules; he hadn't intentionally felt my thoughts, usually he'd ignore the other person and keep himself separate, so no one else was even aware of that power with orbing, but because of my power he couldn't keep himself apart from me. I pushed into him then the reason we were going to the underworld and what we were going to do down there, but I kept Piper dying to myself. I'm not sure why I held that secret, but I did.

We reformed as separate entities, and I fell off my feet. Leo reached down to help me up, and I laughed, "I've always had terrible balance. I suspect that'll happen every time we orb."

"Leo?" Phoebe asked, and then we saw her lying on the hay with Cole.

Leo and I looked away and I snickered, "Well that was definitely different."

Phoebe covered herself and stood up, "What-why-who-what are you doing here?"

Only I could hear the question "Who is he?" burning much heavier in her head. Leo explained what was happening "upstairs" and how we needed Tempest's help to fix everything, and I could hear Cole's fear to approach the Source before anyone even brought that up. It put a brand new perspective on how important Cole really was to the sisters.

"Why would he even accept?" Phoebe asked, "I mean with magic exposed don't demons have the upper hand?"

"We like being kept a secret just as much as you do," Cole explained.

"You know," I interjected, "I never understood that, was this just a cop out by the writers, or do you really not want the world to know about magic?"

"Who's the kid?" Cole asked Leo.

I let Leo answer this time: "He's another witch who's here to help."

"Oh," I realized, "Did the Elders decide what all I'm allowed to say?"

"They haven't yet," Leo said, "So other than who you are and where you come from-"

"From where I come," I corrected him.

"Right," Leo said, "other than those, I wouldn't go into any more detail."

"Fair enough," I said, "well I'll rescind my question for now; despite your fear," I said to Cole, "you should probably go meet with the Source."

"How do you know-?" Cole started.

"The Source?" Phoebe asked, "Why?"

"He's the only one who could summon Tempest," Cole explained, "or get him to do anything for that matter; no other demon, upper level or not, has the power."

"I don't want you to risk yourself," Phoebe said.

"It may be the only way to fix all of this," Cole said, "besides the problem is already big enough that the Source is here."

"He's here?" Phoebe asked, "Now?"

"Huh," I thought aloud, "this isn't at all how I remember this sequence."

"What?" Leo asked.

"It's just not the same as I saw it," I tried to be vague in my explanation.

"Well there's no use worrying about what isn't happening," Cole said, "I'm going to talk to him."

"Baby," Phoebe protested.

"You can't change my mind," Cole said, "I would give my life for you."

"That doesn't mean you have to prove it," Phoebe said.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I would," Cole said, "and I will."

With that he shimmered out. Phoebe sighed and turned on us; Leo put up his hands defensively and pointed at me, "Way to throw me under, Leo," I said; Phoebe was about to ask who I was and from where I came, but I cut her off with an answer, "I'm Jeremy, pleased to meet you," I said, "I know everything there is to know about you because I'm not supposed to be here," I smiled because I have an odd sense of humor, "I come from a completely different world where you and your sister's lives are a TV show called Charmed, and before you ask you're played by Alyssa Milano because apparently that's all your sisters cared to know."

Phoebe looked pleased, "I'm hot!"

I laughed, "That's the general consensus anyway; the point is, somehow I was watching an episode, in fact this episode, and I made a comment about how I wished I could live in a fantasy world like this, and poof here I am. I'm apparently a witch with the power to read minds, and no I'm not reading your mind on purpose; in fact, I should probably start trying to focus so that I can ignore thoughts. That's probably a good idea."

"Yeah you should," Phoebe said, "I would like to have some privacy."

"You know," I said, "I hadn't even considered, but I don't think my parents will exist in this world. I don't know that I have anywhere to go."

"Well for now you'll stay with the girls," Leo said.

"What?" Phoebe and I asked.

"The Elders want you to be watched by someone familiar with this world's ways, so it only makes sense to keep you with the Charmed ones seeing as you kind of already know them."

"But we don't know him," Phoebe protested.

"I know, Phoebe," Leo said, "but They don't know that there's anywhere else to put him-"

"Sorry to be such an inconvenience," I frowned.

"That's not what I meant," Leo said, "It's just that They want you to be kept safe while we figure out how to send you home."

"I know," I said, "and that's fair, but I don't want to be an imposition on the sisters either."

"I'm sure Piper and Prue won't mind," Leo said, "Especially Prue; she'll want to keep an eye on you."

"Well dat's true," Phoebe said, "She is kinda suspicious of, well, everything."

"This is something to discuss after time is reset," I said, "as Piper and Prue won't remember any of this anyway."

"Why will I?" Phoebe asked.

"We'll just have to see," Leo said before I could answer.

"Right," I said.

As Phoebe was about to ask another question, Cole shimmered back in with a grave expression on his face, "Oh right," I said sadly after hearing Cole's thoughts.

"Cole," Phoebe said desperately, "What happened, what's wrong?"

"He says he'll do it," Cole said without meeting Phoebe's gaze, "but only if you agree to stay down here."

"No way," Leo said firmly, but Phoebe put up her hand to shush Leo.

"Why," She said, "why would he think I'd agree to a deal like that?"

"Because it may be the only way to save one of your sisters," Cole said gravely.

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"He's lying," Leo said.

"See for yourself," Cole said.

"Go," Phoebe said to Leo, "but don't be long."

"I feel like something didn't happen that was supposed to," I said.

"Does it really matter?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know," I said honestly, "I think that it might, though."

"Have we decided if we can trust him?" Cole asked.

"I think so," Phoebe said, "and Leo thinks so, so I'm going to say yes for now."

Leo orbed back in with tears running down his cheeks, "Piper," Phoebe breathed and she went and hugged Leo. She turned back to Cole, "I'll do it."

"You don't have to do this," Leo said.

"Yes," Phoebe said quickly, "I do," She turned to Cole, "Will time affect us down here?"

"No," Cole said.

"Then I have one condition," She said, "After time reverses, you go up and warn Piper and Prue about Shax; otherwise they're dead anyway."

Cole bowed his head and shimmered out, "That's not gonna work," I said quickly.

"Jeremy," Leo warned.

"No," I cut him off, "the Elders can't see what's happening down here. You need to write a reversal spell, quickly," I said to Phoebe, "to send me up to the attic after time reverses."

"What, why?" Phoebe asked.

"Otherwise Prue will die," I said, "There's little time to explain more, you just have to trust me and send me up right after time reverses."

"Why can't Leo go up?" Phoebe asked.

"You're going to need him," I said, "Again you just have to trust me, there is no time."

"I trust him," Leo said.

"Alright," Phoebe said, "Umm, as time reverses in this place, let this man be moved through space, to save a sister blessed be, and protect the Power of Three."

I could feel myself being lifted up; it was much like orbing, but I didn't feel myself being pulled apart; I merely felt like I was flying. Suddenly I was in the attic, and I could hear Prue and Piper talking to the doctor downstairs. I darted to the Book of Shadows and frantically turned the pages until I found Shax, "Evil wind that blows," I mumbled to myself three times, then I heard Prue shout for Phoebe, "Shit!" I shouted.

"Who's up there with you?" Piper called.

I ran as fast as I could down the stairs, and I heard the door blast open, "Phoebe!?" Prue called.

I got into the room just as Piper and Prue were blasted backward and Shax formed, "No!" Prue shouted as she ran to block Shax from attacking the doctor.

"Evil wind that blows," I shouted without considering that I wasn't nearly as powerful as the Charmed Ones, but when Shax shot out his wind, it was stopped by my words and sent back on himself, so I continued, "that which forms below, no longer may you dwell, death takes you with this spell!"

Shax yelled, and then he turned into the wind and shot out of the door again. I smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

"Who the Hell are you?" Prue asked.


	2. Charmed Again Part 1

My Charmed Life

Ch.2 – Charmed Again Part 1

**This is the true recounting of my life.**

I was born in Berlin, Germany, and there I grew up for 10 years. Those were quite possibly the best years of my life, and for that reason I revere Germany and all of its wonders. I got along with everyone, and everyone wanted to be my friend; the few who were stupid enough to attempt belittling me would find that their new best friend was the bottom of my older brother's boot.

Don't you worry reader, I remember the previous chapter. All in due time.

I had this one friend, Kassie. She was the one woman I ever loved, and, had time been kinder, I'd have grown up to marry her; we would have had two children – Mykuhl and Katerina – I'd be a prominent psychologist, renowned worldwide, and she'd be whatever she wanted to be, for I would support her in her every decision. We would be the envy of the neighborhood, and life would be good.

Unfortunately, as you are all aware, that is not the direction my life went; instead, at the age of ten, we had to move to America, and Kassie and I fell out of touch; in fact, I never spoke to her following the day we moved from Berlin. That's when everything spiraled out of control. Suddenly, the things that made me popular in Germany were absolutely pointless, and somehow I became the scourge of the world, yet my brothers were so cool because they were foreign. I'm not sure how I got left behind; maybe it had to do with my adapting to the American speech pattern so quickly, and thereby losing my accent, or perhaps it had to do with my aversion to talking about Germany because I didn't want to think about leaving Kassie, but whatever the reason, I shifted from the top of the food chain to the very bottom.

I did have one friend though. He was the nicest boy I've ever known; his name was Timothy, but he let me call him Timmy. He protected me from the rest of the world; he was pretty well known and respected, so nobody messed with me if he was around, but if he wasn't I was fair game because they knew I'd never have the guts to tell on them. It took us four years for either of us to admit we were in love with the other, and 'twas I to admit it first. He didn't react immediately; rather, he was silent for what I'm sure was only a minute, but it felt like decades to me. Then he kissed me, and the world erupted into a swirling vortex of beauty and warmth. Nothing mattered outside of me and my Timmy.

But I digress, you are far more curious to know what happened next in the Charmed world. Well, after Prue saw me fend of Shax, she was much more willing to accept my story than before time had reversed. Piper was a little iffy at first, but when Cole and Phoebe shimmered into the room and Leo orbed in, followed almost immediately by four demons whom we all worked together to vanquish (as I could read their thoughts, I could tell Prue who to kill first and who would strike when), Piper warmed up to me. Phoebe, Leo, and Cole already trusted me, so at this point they had no reason to think me an imposter, but more than that, after I explained how I shifted over from this world, Piper was the first to say, "Well you should stay with us until we figure this all out."

"What?" Prue and I asked.

"Well think about it," Piper said more to Prue than to me, "If he's not from this world, what are the chances anyone in his family is in this world? He has to stay somewhere, and we're not going to cast him out to the streets. No, he'll stay with us until we can get everything sorted."

I smiled at her offer, and I commended the mother in her. It was a rather nice feeling to have someone care about me again.

"Okay," Prue said, "but where?"

"I'm comfortable with the couch," I said quickly, "I'm used to sleeping on the couch back home."

"Really?" Phoebe asked, "Why would you want to sleep on the couch over a bed?"

"Mostly because my bed is twelve years old and the springs are poking through," I answered, "The couch is just more comfortable."

"That's-" Prue started.

"Really sad," I rolled my eyes, "yeah I know, I don't come from a very happy place, and the longer it takes you to find a way to send me home, the happier I'll be really."

The sisters gave each other a look, and I could hear the pity in their minds. If you're wondering about why they felt such empathy for me, just wait a few chapters and it will all make sense. There was a jingling sound, "Uh-oh," Leo said.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

"It's my fault," I cringed, "I kind of broke reality."

"You did what?" Prue asked.

"You were supposed to die," I said, "from Shax, remember?"

"I don't remember," Prue said astounded.

"Right, time reversed," I said, "Well Leo there's no need for you to be here for this. Go talk to the Elders."

Leo orbed out, and I told Piper and Prue about the way "All Hell Breaks Loose" was supposed to end. They changed their moods from anger to gratitude, but then Phoebe asked the question I really didn't want to answer because I wasn't sure how.

"How would the series continue if the Charmed ones were destroyed?"

I looked away from the sisters, "I'm not sure I can answer that," I said, "Although, if you ask your mother directly, there is an answer."

"Our mother?" Piper asked, "What answer would she have?"

Phoebe had a look of recognition on her face, and her thoughts went to Patty and Sam. I nodded at her, "That's right."

"What's right?" Prue asked, "I thought we agreed you wouldn't answer questions we hadn't asked yet."

"It wasn't an answer to a question," I said, "It was acknowledgement of her deduction."

"I know how the show would have continued," Phoebe explained, "and I think I know why Jeremy won't tell us. Come on," She stood up and started for the attic, "We have a séance to perform!"

We followed her to the attic, where Piper set up the candles and Phoebe turned to the spell, "May I?" I asked, "I've never actually cast a spell before, well, other than to stop Shax."

"Go for it," Phoebe said, "Just be sure to really concentrate on our mom."

"Don't worry," I smiled, "I'm picturing her vividly in my mind."

"Who plays her?" Piper asked with a smile.

"Oh not like that," I said, "I like other men; it's just, she's such an amazing character in the series, but Finola Hughes plays her."

"Very cool," Piper said, "I'd actually rather like to see that."

"You know," I wondered, "I've rather screwed up the timeline in here already, I wonder if we could write a spell to pull the box set from my room in my world into this world. I mean, if I can project myself here with just a thought, it shouldn't be too difficult for the Power of Three, right?"

"Apparently the T.V. show didn't cover all the nuances to spells," Phoebe said, "It's not that simple, but we'll explain it all if you're gonna be any help to us in the future! Now then, go ahead and call Mom," Phoebe pointed at the spell as Piper lit the last candle.

"Oh it's okay," I waved at the book, "I have this one memorized," I heard curious thoughts from Prue; I smiled at her, and before anyone could distract the situation further, I called out, "Hear these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide."

White lights swirled in the center of the arrangement of candles, and I stared in awe at what I had just accomplished, but rather than seeing Finola Hughes, I saw the form of Jennifer Rhodes, Penny Halliwell. I was rather surprised, as I had completely forgotten she was supposed to be in the episode after "All Hell Breaks Loose," but even more so because this meant that in the attempt to get to Patty, I got to Penny, just like Piper did in "Charmed Again Part 1," so perhaps I hadn't screwed up the timeline as bad as I thought I had.

"Hello, my darlings," Penny smiled at the girls.

"Grams?" Prue asked, "Jeremy, you got the wrong dead Halliwell."

"I'm so pleased you're so pleased to see me," Penny said, "He didn't screw up, I intercepted."

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, if this is the greeting I can look forward to in the future, you can forget about ever summoning me again," Penny scolded.

"We're sorry Grams," Phoebe and Piper said and the three made motions to hug her from a distance, "We are happy to see you."

"That's more like it," Penny smiled at them.

"Yeah," Prue said, "we are, but why did you intercept the call for Mom?"

"Because I didn't want you girls to bother her with this," Penny said, "Don't make her relive this memory, I beg you."

"What memory?" Prue asked.

"I can't tell you, I was sworn to secrecy," She explained.

"By whom?" Piper asked.

"By me," Came Patty's voice.

"Oh that's an odd way to go about this," I said aloud.

"What?" Phoebe asked, to which I shook my head.

"Who?" Prue asked.

"By me," Patty said again as she materialized in the room, "I swore her to secrecy."

"Patty," Penny tried to stop her.

"It's okay, Mom," Patty said, "It's time they knew."

"Knew what?" Piper asked.

"About your fourth sister," Patty said.

"Wait," Prue held up her hand, "what?"

"Oh the thinks they're thinking," I groaned, and I put a hand to my head. I wasn't exaggerating either: Prue and Phoebe were having drastic "how could she lie to us" thoughts, and Piper's thoughts, after a brief term on the same wavelength shifted to the possibility of being free of the witchy world. I started taking deep breaths and tried pushing their thoughts out of my head because Prue and Phoebe were thinking rather maliciously, and I wanted to be left to my own thoughts.

"What's with him?" Penny asked, motioning to me, and it was at that point that I realized I couldn't read her mind.

"He's a telepath," Prue said, "but don't dodge the question, what's this about another sister?"

"It happened after your father and I broke up," Patty explained, "when I was with Sam. You girls were young, you just thought Mommy was getting a little fat."

"So she's a white-lighter?" Piper asked, rather disheartened.

"Oh half, dear," Penny said with a smile.

"And the other half is from me," Patty said, "which makes her a sister witch."

"A fourth Charmed One?" Piper asked.

"Yes I would imagine so," Patty said.

"But that doesn't make sense," Prue said, "Melinda Warren only had three powers, what power would this fourth sister have?"

"Yeah," Phoebe asked, "and what do we call her because just saying fourth sister feels kind of odd."

"Paige," Patty said, "I named her Paige."

"Hah," Prue said, "Another 'P' name, imagine that."

Patty made a face at her, "I imagine she wasn't supposed to be able to receive her power until one of you died, but because Jeremy came and screwed up the timeline, yes I'm scolding you," She added when I gave her a quizzical look, "and because of that I imagine she doesn't have the capability for her witch powers which makes her far more vulnerable than she was when no one knew about her."

"Not necessarily," I said, "and you're welcome, by the way," I added to Patty who looked at me quizzically this time, "for saving your daughter's life," Patty frowned, and I didn't have to read her mind to know what she was thinking now, "Anyway, if I'm right there's a spell to call a witch's power to her, isn't there?"

"Yes," Penny said, "but only three Charmed Ones can live at a time."

"I challenge that," I said, "because her powers were vastly different than Prue's, and she never developed the power to astral project or move objects without calling for them throughout the series. It was hinted that she might be able to, but it never actually happened, so I think that because of her Whitelighter half she'll be an exception to that rule, and if not she already has the power to orb, so if nothing else she can be a secondary cosmic taxi, and," I added after touching on Piper's thoughts again, "she could be useful to give you all something you've always wanted: normal lives."

"What?" Piper asked, "How?"

"Let me get back to you on that," I said, "but know that the solution is there, Piper."

Phoebe and Prue glanced back and forth between Piper and me, "What's he talking about?" Prue asked.

"Freedom," Piper said simply, "So how do we find her?"

Phoebe looked flustered, but Patty answered, "I imagine you could start at the church where we left her."

"No," I said, "I know where she works."

So we departed the house for the social services office; it only took the girls a moment to narrow it down to South Bay Social Services because it was the closest to the church their mother mentioned, and we were there within ten minutes. The lady at the front desk asked if she could help us, and I said, "We're here to see Paige Matthews."

"Do you have an appointment?" The lady asked.

"No," I said, "but if you tell her we have information about her parents, she'll be more than happy to meet us."

Phoebe was rather impressed by me, but Prue thought it was rather forward of me to go straight for the dead parents card. Within moments, Paige came hurriedly out to meet us. She paused when she saw the girls, "Do I know you?"

"No, honey," Phoebe said, "but we know you."

"Subtle," Prue said, "real subtle."

"Hi," I said over their impending bickering, "I'm Jeremy Conners, and I have all the answers you could possibly need to your questions about your biological parents, and a few to your adopted parents."

"Easy," Piper muttered in my ear.

"Alright who are you people?" Paige asked, rather agitated, and with good reason.

I focused on her, and I could hear her thoughts: "What if they're lying, but what if they're telling the truth? I have to know what they know, but I don't want to go with complete strangers to a secluded place, so if they ask me to come with them anywhere that isn't public, obviously I have to say no. Why has it taken so long for anyone to approach me with anything involving my birth parents? Why is it complete strangers that think they know so much about me? Is this a prank?"

"It's not a prank, I assure you," I said instinctively, and Piper smacked my arm, "I'm sorry," I said after Paige looked at me with such shock, "Why don't we meet at P3 tonight, and we can explain everything?"

Paige's thoughts changed to more comforting thoughts, yet still suspicious, after I supposed a public meeting place, "Alright," She said, "but I swear, if this is a set-up-"

"Don't worry," I smiled, "You will be very pleased to hear what we have to say."

As we departed, Prue gave me a look and thought furiously at me, "Why did we come all the way down here just to delay talking to her!?"

I walked out of the building before answering, "She wouldn't have cooperated if we asked her to come with us to a private setting," I explained, "She wanted us to invite her to a public venue, so I did."

"Oh," Prue said.

"Dat's a handy trick," Phoebe said, "You'll come in handy."

I smiled, "I sure hope so."

"So Piper," Prue said as we got into the car, "What's this about true freedom?"

"Oh don't badger her," I said, "All of you want normal lives and you know it."

"Yeah but we agreed that would come when we all were ready," Phoebe said, "and not earlier."

"What do you want from me?" Piper asked, "I can't help it if an opportunity arises that won't harm the precious Power of Three."

"Yeah," Prue said, "but the Power of Three lies in our bond as sisters. We can't reach that level with a complete stranger instantly."

"You could if it were necessary," I said.

"What's that mean?" Prue asked.

"Well remember where I come from you died," I explained, "and Shax was still roaming around, so Piper and Phoebe had to form that bond with Paige in minutes, or they would have died."

"But I'm not dead," Prue said, "so we don't have that necessity, and besides this is kind of a sister problem here, so stay out of it."

"No!" I shouted, "It's not fair that you guys are always so hard on Piper. It's not her fault that being a witch interferes so intensely with her life. She and Leo shouldn't even be together because of the Elders' damned rules, and even now that they are together they hardly get to spend time together because the Elders suck and keep calling him out whenever anything good is happening in their relationship because they're so butt hurt that you guys found your loopholes!"

"'kay," Phoebe said and she put an arm around me (we were in the back, Prue was driving, and Piper was in the front seat passenger), "honey, we get it. Piper's your favorite."

"Was it that obvious?" I asked.

"But it doesn't change that we need her," Prue said.

"I can't always be the Power of Three," Piper said, "If Paige can take over for me, I'm going to try and get her to."

"Piper you're being selfish," Prue said.

"I don't care," Piper said.

"We don't even know if Paige can take over," I said, "If she only has the power to move objects with her mind, then she won't be able to anyway."

"Except for, for Prue," Piper said.

"After yelling at you for trying to get out, you really think I'm going to take the out?" Prue asked.

Piper just huffed and looked away, "Why don't we wait until we see if she has any powers," I suggested, "and then we can have this talk."

"Oh you can bet we will," Prue said.

"In the meantime," Phoebe said, "should we focus on finding Shax? I mean, he'll still be after Dr. Griffiths, so we should probably get to him before he gets to the doctor."

"That's a good idea," Prue said, "Alright, well Jeremy where do you think we'll find him?"

"I have no idea," I said, "In the show they vanquished him at the house because his new target was Paige."

Prue slammed on the breaks, "Well why didn't you say so!?" She shouted as the car behind us honked at us.

"But killing her won't eliminate the Power of Three anymore," I said, "and that's why she became a target."

"Well evil won't want a Power of Four," Prue said as she screeched into a U-turn; people all around were honking at us now, "will they!?"

"Oh," I said, "that hadn't even occurred to me."

We got back to the social services building just as Paige was going on her break, and it occurred to me how coincidental everything seemed to be occurring in this world. I supposed entering a world based on a T.V. show would do that and shrugged it off. We followed Paige on foot from a safe distance so she wouldn't see us, and she turned down a back alley to a shortcut to a restaurant for lunch (I heard her think this). Just as we turned, Prue grabbed Phoebe's shoulder to steady herself, and the mini tornado that was Shax passed through us, knocking us into the walls. Piper pulled herself to her feet before helping me up, and Shax appeared with a loud noise. Paige turned around and screamed, and he shot a blast at her which she orbed out to avoid. Moments later she orbed back in, in the same spot. She had a look of absolute terror and confusion on her face.

Piper pointed at her, "That's a good sign right?" She asked urgently.

"The spell!" I shouted.

"Right," She, Phoebe, and Prue grabbed hands as Paige started running away.

"No, stop!" I shouted. I didn't know why, and neither did she, but she stopped and turned around.

"What is it?" Prue shouted at me as Shax turned around and drew back his hand.

"Evil wind that blows," I shouted.

"Evil wind that blows," They repeated.

"That which forms below!"

"That which forms below!" Shax's attack reverberated in on him.

"No longer may you dwell!"

"No longer may you dwell!"

"Death takes you with this spell!"

"Death takes you with this spell!" Shax let out a horrid roar, and then he shimmered in a prism of color until he exploded.

"Ooo," Prue smiled, "THAT was a vanquish!"

"What the Hell just happened?" Paige asked.

"That was what we were coming by to talk to you about," Phoebe said, "Welcome to the family!" She opened her arms for a hug, and Paige looked at her with that look of confusion.

To be continued…


	3. Charmed Again Part 2

My Charmed Life

Ch.3 – Charmed Again Part 2

**This is the true recounting of my life.**

My time with Timmy was absolute bliss. I stated in the previous chapter that my time in Germany was quite possibly the best time of my life; well I'd like to say now that I was absolutely lying to you. There is no time in my life that I look on with higher regard than that bit of time with Timmy. If that's not obvious foreshadowing, then I don't know what is.

Timmy and I started spending too much time together, and people started noticing. At first, it meant nothing to either of us, but then Timmy started being weird about it; I knew from the start that our relationship couldn't go public because of my brother and his friends, and I was okay with that. The last thing I needed was for the world to discover that I was gay, and the last thing I wanted was for Timmy to not be able to protect me. I know, how selfish of me, but after everything I was put through, I earned myself a bit of selfishness.

I've been too coy to this point; let me let you in on the true terror that was my older brother. I've alluded to the fact that he and his friends would beat me; well let's get into that first. One of the defining factors that made he and my oldest brother so popular was how awful they treated me; apparently, American children are really rather fond of sibling rivalries. Maybe that's too general, and maybe it's just Southern Californian children, but his friends definitely encouraged him treating me like I was some inhuman fiend. It started with "harmless" jabs at the weight I had gained since we moved from Germany (my psychiatrists have told me I was stress eating from the move; in reality, I believe I ate out of spite toward my parents, for it saddened them so to watch me destroy myself, and I surely hoped it hurt them in return for taking me halfway across the world; it later escalated to other self-harming acts that I'll get into in later chapters), then it escalated into tauntings of my odd interests and hobbies, such as the television show Sailor Moon, my love of books, or my eloquent skills in the English language. Those are but a few examples; of course there was plenty more for which they would mock me, but a full list would extend longer than this story will run.

Then, one day they invited me to join them in a game of American Football. I foolishly thought it was an acceptance into their group, and, as an eleven year old boy, all I ever wanted was for my brother to include me in his activities. I joined with such delight, and on the way there they explained how we were going to play a variation of football called "Smear the Queer." I had absolutely no idea what that meant, which they found amusing because of my conceit in my own ability to turn a phrase. Of course, when they explained the rules to me they told me all I had to do was catch the ball and get across the field to behind them; they cleverly left out how they were going to halt my advances, so you can imagine my surprise when they charged me. Within the first round I had three cracked ribs, a black eye, a broken shin, and a mild concussion, and my brother left me with a warning not to tell my mother what actually happened. I was to wait to go home for an hour, and I was to come up with a story to explain my injuries, or they would make it hurt twice as bad before it healed. So I laid there on the field, curled up and shivering in my tears for an hour before I hobbled home and claimed I tripped and fell down the hill. My parents accosted me for my idiocy because I knew I wasn't allowed to travel up and down the hills, and this was just going to cost them a fortune in hospital bills, so I was just in so much trouble.

Yet now I stood at the opposite end of an alley from none other than Paige Matthews. That's right, I'm shifting back to the Charmed part of this story now. So Paige stared at us in absolute horror, "What are you people?"

"We're," Piper searched for the right way to put this.

"Your sisters," Phoebe said happily, "Hi, sis!"

"My what?" Paige exclaimed.

"Look," I said, "I understand this is all really new to you, and you are terrified, believe me, I understand, but we're telling you the truth. You proved it just now actually by orbing when the demon attacked you."

"Orbing?" Paige asked, "Demon? What have you guys turned me into?"

"Nothing yet," I explained, "and nothing at all if you don't want to. If you want you can ignore this and go right back to your life, but I promise you demons will not stop coming after you now that they know of your existence, and they will kill you."

"What?" Paige said aggressively.

"It's a cold hard truth, either live with it or come with us," I said, "We can protect you."

"I don't even know who you are!"

"We're witches," Pheobe said, "We have supernatural powers, and we use them to protect innocents from evil."

"Witches?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Prue said, "and you're sisters, which is kind of why we're here."

"You knew magic was real," I said, "You believed in all that witchy stuff before we came here, what with the candles and incense and such. We're just one step above that."

"It's one thing to believe in something," Paige said, "and another thing entirely to actually see it."

"Yeah," I said, "but I know some part of you is excited about this."

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I can read your mind," I said, "That's my power."

"Your power?" Paige asked a little less aggressively.

"Right," Phoebe smiled, "my gift is premonitions – I see things before they happen."

"And you can levitate," Prue pointed out.

"Dat's true too," Phoebe said, "Wanna see?"

Paige stared at her for a moment, "Okay, show me."

Phoebe levitated high into the air, and Paige and I smiled absently at her. Prue grinned at looked directly at Paige, "Think that's cool? Watch this," Prue flicked her two forefingers at a plastic can on the ground and it flew halfway across the alley before Piper froze it.

"Stand back," Piper said, so Paige did, and Piper blew the can up, "Woo! I think I've sure got that down."

Phoebe giggled as she came back to the ground, "You have a magical power too, ya know."

"Really?" Paige asked, "What?"

"Well," Prue said, "we're not sure. Melinda Warren had three powers-"

"Melinda Warren?" Paige asked.

"Yes," I said, "but perhaps we could return to the manor to discuss this?"

"Right," Prue said as she realized we were still in the alley, "would you mind joining us back to the house to sort all this out?"

"Oh," Paige said, "I guess, but I have to call my work and let them know I won't be coming back today."

So she did, and we drove back to the social services building where Paige hopped in her little bug thing, and we all went back to 1329 Prescott Street. Piper greeted Leo, and Phoebe greeted Cole, then we introduced Paige and set off explaining the history of the Halliwell line. Paige poked in questions here and there about small things such as Grams binding their powers, what Patty was like, what powers other people in the family had, and whether she was the only witchlighter, to which I let the girls answer as honestly as they could, adding my insight every now and again. When we got to the topic of Patty, Phoebe chimed in, "Would you like to meet her?"

"How?" Paige asked, "Isn't she dead?"

"Oh honey," Prue smiled.

"We're witches, aren't we?" Piper said.

Piper stood and motioned for Paige to follow them, and we all went back to the attic, including Leo and Cole. When we got to the stairs a thought occurred to me, "Hang on," I said, "Come here."

I positioned the four in a circle underneath the chandelier, "What's up?" Piper asked.

"Hold hands," I said curiously.

"Okay," Prue eyed me suspiciously, but she reached out her hand and the others followed suit. When they all grabbed each other's hands, the chandelier glowed and shed a brilliant light on the group of them.

"Fascinating!" I said.

"Alright," Prue said, "what gives?"

"She is definitely a witch," I responded with a smile, "Paige, dear, would you try calling for that pillow," I pointed to a red pillow on the couch.

"Call for it?" Paige and Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," I said, "Just hold out your hand and demand it to come to you," I found it odd that I was the one explaining to Paige how to use her powers.

"Okay," Paige said, "Pillow!" She shouted and held out her hand and the pillow orbed to her, "Cool!"

"It is cool indeed," I said, "Unfortunately," I added to Piper.

"It means she only has the power to move objects with her mind," Piper acknowledged.

"I'm sorry, honey," Phoebe hugged Piper.

"It's okay," Piper sighed, "it was kinda a lost cause from the get go."

So we went upstairs, Prue used her power to set up the candles, and Phoebe went around lighting them. I opened the book to the page, and I motioned Paige over, "Read this aloud," I said.

"While concentrating on Mom," Phoebe added.

"But I don't know what she looks like," Paige said.

"You don't have to," Prue said, "You just have to focus on who you want to see."

"Alright," Paige said with the slightest hint of a smile; I knew she wanted to be a witch, "Hear these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide."

White lights circled in the center of the circle of candles, and they formed into Patty Halliwell. Paige was rather speechless, and Patty looked confused, "Girls, why-?"

She stopped questioning everything when she saw Paige. They both just looked at each other for a moment, and then Patty walked forward and materialized so that she and Paige could hug for a long moment. Patty looked at Paige, "You are so beautiful."

Paige had started crying, "Mom?…"

Piper, Prue, and Phoebe smiled at the two of them, and the four of us left to give them some privacy. Prue nudged Piper, "You know," She said, "if we weren't witches we couldn't have done that for her."

"Yeah," Piper smiled.

"If we weren't witches?" Cole asked.

"Piper wants to give up the Power of Three," Phoebe explained.

"You do?" Leo asked.

"Oh please," I groaned and grabbed my head, "one at a time."

"I did," Piper said.

"Did?" Prue asked hopefully.

"Did," Piper affirmed, "I won't destroy the Power of Three; we agreed to that two years ago, so I'll keep my powers for you guys."

"Yay!" Phoebe pulled Piper and Prue into a hug and they all laughed.

"Huh," I mumbled to myself.

"What is it?" Cole asked.

"No," Leo said, "not if it's from your world."

"Well it is," I said, "but it's different. When Paige came into the show she was very against the idea of being a witch, and the Source was trying to turn her evil."

"What? How?" Prue asked.

"The window of opportunity," Leo said understanding as we entered the foyer.

"What's he talking about?" Phoebe asked Cole.

"It's a portion of time agreed upon by the higher powers of both good and evil in which someone new to the craft can be swayed either way," Cole explained.

"What?" Prue asked.

"Who makes up these cockamamie rules?" Piper asked, and I snickered as Leo looked up and Cole looked down, "Oh never mind!"

"So what," Prue interjected, "the Source need only cast a spell on her and she'll be our adversary?"

"No," I said, "he can't cast a spell on her to win her; it'd have to be her choice. Free will and all."

"Oh," Phoebe said, "so how long is the window?"

"Twenty-four hours," Cole said.

"Oh good," Prue said, "so we just explain to her that she has to stay with us for the next twenty-four hours, and we're good right?"

"She'll never agree to that," I said, "She's very independent, and she always will be, but if we prepare her, then she might at least stand a chance long enough to call Leo."

"Why don't I just watch over her?" Leo asked.

"That's a good idea," Piper said, "She'll need someone to protect her anyway."

"Then who will orb you there if she's attacked?" I asked.

"I can shimmer us there," Cole said, "or at least myself and one other person."

"It should be Prue," Phoebe said.

"It should be Piper," I argued.

"Prue is the most powerful," Piper said, "It should be her."

"You can blow demons up," I countered, "You're the only one, presently, with an active power that can single-handedly vanquish demons."

"Lower-level demons," Piper said, "but not an upper-level demon."

"But your power will make them flee," Prue said, "With mine I'd just be flinging them around temporarily."

"But," Piper started to argue.

"I think it's been decided," Cole said, "besides, they'll be right behind us."

"If by a few minutes," I added.

"Don't worry," Cole smiled, "I'll take good care of you."

"Gross," Piper responded.

Paige came down the stairs a few minutes later, "Hey honey," Piper said, "how are you feeling?"

"A little overwhelmed," Paige answered, but her thoughts were so excited, "It's a lot to ask someone to take in."

"Oh I know honey," Phoebe said and she went to guide Paige to a seat, and it was at this point that I realized how often the Charmed ones used the word honey, "We went through the same thing four years ago when we first learned we were witches, but we learned very quickly that it's not something you can fight."

"But you'll have us to guide you through this," Prue smiled, "We'll teach you what we know, and we'll protect you to the very best of our ability."

"On that note," I said, "Would you be willing to allow Leo to watch over you so that we can know if anything attacks you?"

"What?" Paige asked.

"Don't worry," I said, "He wouldn't be in the room or anything; he'd just be paying closer attention to you, and he'll call us if you're in danger."

"So he won't actually be watching me?" Paige asked.

"No," Leo said, "just sensing."

"Sensing what?" Paige asked.

"Mostly your feelings," Leo said, "and the general stasis of the room."

"Stasis of the room?" Piper laughed.

Leo smirked at her, "So what if I have a guy over?" Paige asked.

The room was quiet for a long, awkward moment, and then Piper asked, "Yes, what if she has a guy over?"

"Well," Leo flushed, "I'll feel how she feels, and I'll stop watching the room."

"And what if a demon attacks while you're not watching the room?" Prue asked.

"That is a very good question," I said suddenly, "and I think I might have a solution to all of this that won't involve Leo being there at all," I stood up and went up the stairs back into the attic.

"Is it just me," Phoebe asked as they followed me, "or have we been up here a LOT over the past two days?"

I turned the pages of the book and found the alarm spell Paige put on Wyatt in season 5. I smiled, "We'll just put this on your apartment."

"What is it?" Paige asked as she came and looked at the book with me. The sisters followed, then Leo and Cole, and soon we were all circled around the book.

"Oh that's smart," Phoebe said.

"Why haven't we thought of using this before?" Piper asked.

"Personal gain," Leo answered.

"Bah!" Piper responded.

I smiled, "We'll cast this spell on you, and when evil strikes, we'll know. I'm sure Phoebe can reword it to alarm us rather than make a loud alarm in your room."

"Sure I can!" Phoebe exclaimed, "Just give me a minute," The rest of us stood back, "All right: now and in future hours let us know when evil strikes, around the house where Paige resides, alarm we Halliwells three, so that we may save this witch to be."

"Fascinating," I said, and not but a moment later, there was an obnoxiously loud screeching in the Halliwell manor.

"What the hell is that!?" Paige screamed.

"I think that means the spell's working!" I shouted back.

"You mean there's evil in my house?" Paige asked.

"Sounds like it," Prue said, then she motioned for Leo, "Come on, let's go!"

"What if it's the Source!?" I shouted.

"The what?" Paige asked.

"The Source of all things evil," Piper said, "We can't let Paige go home to that if it is!"

"And this screeching is really starting to hurt my ears!" Phoebe shouted.

"Come on!" Prue waved me over.

I was shocked, "You want me to come?" I asked, "My power won't work on the Source."

"No," Prue said, "but you know how we vanquish him, I assume!"

"Oh," I said, "well that makes sense."

"I'm coming too!" Paige grabbed onto Leo's hand because that's what everyone else was doing.

"No!" Phoebe shouted, "You just started this; you're not ready!"

"It's my apartment," Paige shouted, "I'm going."

The sisters looked displeased, but they couldn't very well argue with her, so they just nodded, "Leo!" Piper shouted, "Let's go!" Cole shimmered out as we orbed.

I had forgotten about the sensation from last time. At first, I felt that beautiful sense of being pulled apart and made into the light of all things, but then I was immersed into every thought everyone with us had ever had, and the worst part was that they were utterly unaware of my presence. Leo tried to tell me to focus on him, but I couldn't. Every waking, sleeping, and unconscious thought the girls and Leo had ever had was swarming through my brain, and I could do nothing to push it out. When we reformed in the middle of Paige's apartment, I burst into tears and screamed at the top of my lungs. I grasped at my head and fell to my knees; there'd be nothing I could do for them in this encounter. Leo rushed to my side, but he waved the girls off.

Later, the girls told me what happened, and it happened thusly:

A man was sitting on the bed, and when they orbed in, he jumped up with a look of pure terror on his face. Paige found herself in rather a shock, "Shane?" She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Y-you t-told me to meet you here," He stuttered, "Wh-what are you?"

"Oh God," Paige covered her mouth.

"Don't believe him," Cole whispered to Phoebe.

"You mean-?" Phoebe asked.

Cole merely nodded in response. Paige moved to step forward, "Paige, no!" Piper shouted in a most sincerely serious manner; she grabbed Paige's arm, and Paige looked rather angrily at Piper.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"That's not who you think it is," Cole mumbled.

"What?" Paige asked in that furious manner that she does.

Cole didn't answer; instead, he shot an energy ball at Shane. Shane was blasted back, but he didn't die, and then Cole answered, "Only the Source could withstand my attack with no injury."

"Oh my God," Paige gasped. She moved behind Piper, Phoebe and Prue, who grabbed hands and started reciting: "The Power of Three will set us free."

ShaneSource stood up and smiled, "Well," He said in a more demonic voice, "It would appear you have seen through this plan. Not without help," He added with a glance at me, "Mark my word, he will not halt my efforts again."

"No!" Piper shouted, and she pulled her sisters in front of me, "You won't hurt him!"

"You think you can stop my power?" ShaneSource laughed; he extended his fingers and conjured up a fireball, "I will end all of you right here, right now."

Cole threw an energy ball at him, "Whatever you're gonna do, do it now!"

ShaneSource dropped the fireball, and Prue caught it with her telekinesis. She shot it up at ShaneSource, and the girls grabbed hands and started reciting, louder, and with more energy, "The Power of Three will set us free!" and they started walking toward ShaneSource.

He grunted, but he shot a fireball at them nonetheless, and it reflected back at him again. He was knocked out of Shane, who was subsequently knocked unconscious. The Source stood as a shimmer in the room. He let out a mad howl before he flamed out. The girls rushed to my side, as I was still shaking on the floor, "Is he okay?" Piper asked.

"Yes," Leo said, "but I don't think he should orb with us for a while."

"I'll take him," Cole said, "Shimmering doesn't work the same way as orbing."

"What's he talking about?" Prue asked.

Leo explained to them what happened to me as Cole took me back to the manor.

That was my very first encounter with the Source of all things evil.


	4. Hell Hath no Fury

My Charmed Life

Ch. 4 – Hell Hath No Fury

**This is the true recounting of my life**

My fingers twitched uncontrollably; a new sensation filled my body as white droplets hovered down from the sky. My vision extended no further than the tip of my hat before it was bombarded by an intangible wall of frost. Every step I took awarded me another twinge of deathly cold across my exposed face, and it was beautiful.

Winter in Germany was my favorite time of year. The snow coated the trees in a soft sheet of protection; the fog blocked unwanted intruders from entering Mother Nature's sacred forests; and the cold kept the rest of the world inside by their cozy fires. Not I though; I wandered the icy streets and rolled in the frozen water. I danced in the forests and climbed the threes, and it was beautiful.

It was much the opposite in California. It was so much warmer in California, so very few people holed up inside by the fire. There were few forests in general, as we were in Southern California, and it never snowed. It almost did one year; we got down to the temperature that would have been required for snow, but we lacked the clouds to drop it on us. Finally, my brothers and their friends were always outside, so I holed myself up inside. That is, of course, until I met Timmy. He showed me the joys of California in the winter. He took me to a place called the Dana Point Harbor, and I immediately fell in love with it. There was a jetty that shot out from the shore, and we'd often walk down that to watch the sunset. It was the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen; the sun touched the water ever so gingerly and a beam of red shot across the ocean. The clouds turned a myriad of neon red colors. The water crashed against the jetty, but we didn't care; within a moment we were completely drenched, and we merely laughed at each other. Then we kissed.

That was the first night I gave myself to him, but I want to be clear. The purpose of this story is not to share my sexual life with you, and so I will not go into any more detail than that on the topic of sex.

That was also the first night he told me that he loved me, and everything else melted away as I fell asleep in his arms. The next day Timmy came out to his family, and they accepted him with ease. In fact, they offered to let me move in with them because they knew how the neighborhood children were treating me. Of course, I had to say no because I couldn't explain to my parents that I was moving in with my boyfriend when I was sixteen, so I would just stay over as much as I could get away with, and we would do nonsensical things together. It was hardly ever sex; neither of us felt a need for physical intimacy, rather we would play video games, or go out, or just lie together and watch the clouds melt into stars that then melted back into the sun.

The day Timmy came out to the public was the happiest day of my life. My brother and his friends were bullying me just after school like they always did, and Timmy got between us and told them to knock it off. They couldn't keep quiet anymore; my brother asked why he defended me so adamantly, and Timmy professed his love for me in the middle of the school yard. My brother and his friends looked on with such disgust, but a teacher was headed our way, so they left us alone. Timmy helped me to my feet and kissed me passionately for everyone to see. My parents received a phone call from the school, as we did live in a very unaccepting town, and I was told not to come home, which I was very okay with. I stayed in Timmy's house for the next week, and then my parents allowed me to come home, much against my will, but there was really no choice in the matter. Eventually they warmed up to the idea of having a gay son, but it was easier for them when I was single.

We had assimilated Paige to the idea of being a witch, and I warned her against taking the book out of the house, as it seemed beneficial to everyone to skip that fiasco, not that I was incredibly successful, but I tried. Prue had warmed up to me first, as it was her life that I saved, and Piper started treating me like she was my mother, which I was okay with. Of course, at this point in the story the sisters knew my entire story, where I've only shared a small portion of it thus far, so they may make references to things you don't quite yet understand; that being said, I didn't have a very good mother in the real world, so it was nice to have someone care about me. Phoebe hadn't quite gotten used to the idea of me being in their lives yet; she was grateful that I saved Prue, but she didn't like messing with the timeline like I had. I tried to explain that I didn't mean to, but she was still wary to take any of my advice, and she was the one to most often shut me up when I started talking about the future. She wanted nothing to do with it, which I found odd given her power and her character in the show, but I didn't question her.

Piper had gone on that super witch mode that she was in, in the show. I confronted her about it in the attic one day when she was scrying for evil in San Francisco, "Why are you so adamant to hunt down the demons?"

"They get to hunt us down," She said, "Why can't I hunt them down for a change? Besides, I figure the sooner I get rid of the demons, the sooner I can live my normal life."

"I never understood why you were so passionate about being normal," I said as I sat down on a chair across the table from her, "don't you like being a witch? I mean look at all the good you do."

"Yeah," She sighed, "I like it, but look at everything I've had to give up for it. Look at everything I'm still giving up for it!"

"That's fair," I said, "but should you really be dragging Cole and Phoebe along all the time?"

"Well I can't vanquish all the demons by myself," She said, "Every now and again I need some back up fire power," Then she eyed me, "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Yes," I smiled, "so are you going to do any research on the next demon you're gonna fight?"

"Nope," She said simply, "I'm going to find it and kill it."

"How?" I asked.

"I'll blow it up," She said matter-of-factly.

"You're sure of your powers now then?" I asked.

"Well then I'll freeze it and Cole can shoot an energy ball at it," Piper said.

"And if it's an upper level demon that Cole can't defeat?" I asked.

"Then we'll figure it out then," Piper said annoyed, "Why are you badgering me about this?"

"Don't you answer that," Phoebe said as she entered the attic, "what are you doing, missy?" She said to Piper.

"I'm scrying for evil," Piper answered.

"And the crystal hasn't dropped yet," I marveled, "Curious seeing as how much evil there is in the San Francisco area."

"Piper," Phoebe pleaded, "stop."

"No," Piper said, "I'm going to either get rid of all the demons in San Francisco, or I'm going to send them a message that says 'leave us alone,' it's really up to them which conclusion we reach."

"That was eloquently expressed," I applauded.

Piper smiled at me, "How goes the job hunt?" Piper asked, mostly to divert Phoebe.

"It's difficult," I said, "ya know, not having a recognized identity to the federal government."

"I actually might be able to help with that," Phoebe said, "but that's totally beside the point," She turned back on Piper, "You can't just go after all the evil in San Francisco. Cole and I have lives too, and we won't be able to help you every time."

"Then I'll go by myself," Piper said simply.

"You most certainly will not," I said, "I'll go with you."

"Not a chance," Piper shot, "you're just a kid."

"I don't 'baa,'" I said defensively, and they both gave me a curious look, "and I'm eighteen, **and** I know more about the witchy world than either of you. If anyone should go with you, it's me; I have almost every vanquishing spell you guys have ever used, or ever will use, memorized. Sure it may not vanquish everything we come up against, but it will at least send them fleeing long enough for us to get to your sisters and set things right, as I already proved when I personally said the Shax vanquishing spell."

They both stared at me for a long moment, then Phoebe said, "He makes a good point."

"Yeah," Piper said in a more defeated tone, "well then there, I'll have a walking Book of Shadows with me."

"Unless we run into something that you didn't face in the show," I pointed out.

"Right," Piper's eye twitched, "in which case I'll blow it up."

"And if it doesn't blow up?" Phoebe asked.

"Why are you guys teaming up on me?" Piper asked, then the crystal dropped, "Oh! Look at that, evil! Gotta go!" She picked up the map and stormed out of the attic.

I rose to my feet and Phoebe motioned for me to stop, "I'll take care of it."

"No," I said defiantly, "I'm coming this time."

"You're not really in a position to make demands," Phoebe said.

"And you don't have enough time to argue," I returned as Piper shouted for Phoebe to hurry up.

Phoebe frowned at me, "Fine."

We got into the car, and Cole and Piper were already in the front seats. Piper looked at me with an expression of "no," but I reminded her: "Walking Book of Shadows," and she nodded, and Cole took off before we had our seat belts on.

"Turn right here!" Piper shouted.

"Where's Leo?" I asked Phoebe.

"He's still convening with the Elders over your arrival and the mess you've made," Phoebe said as Piper ordered a left turn.

"You're most welcome for that, by the way," I mumbled.

"Look," Phoebe said, "it's not that I'm not grateful that you saved my sister, I am, but we've already learned the consequences of messing with time, and I don't want to go back to that."

"Do you mean when you were sent to the future?" I asked.

"No," Phoebe answered, "we learned our lesson about punishing people with that. I'm talking about when Prue was killed by the Dragon Warlock, I'm talking about when we went back in time beacause Mom blessed a ring to protect a warlock from our powers, and I'm talking about when a warlock came back from the future to kill off an entire crew of scientists that discovered a vaccine to kill of his entire mutated species."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," I said, "but didn't all of those times end up being good for you?"

"In the end, yes," Phoebe said, "but we've learned time and time again that you don't mess with the future or the past. You never know what you could be altering."

"Turn left here!" Piper demanded, she and Cole were arguing about something else in the front seat. It had to do with Piper's insane notion to hunt down all the demons of San Francisco (I could tell from their thoughts).

"Alright," I said, "I will try my hardest not to alter anything else," I turned away from her, "but I still want to help you guys. I can't do anything else here."

"That's fine," Phoebe conceded, "but no more hints of the future, no matter how helpful you think you're being."

I looked back at Phoebe, "Agreed," and we shook on it, "besides, with Prue still alive and Paige being a witchlighter still, I don't know for sure what will be happening differently from the show."

"That's good," Phoebe smiled as the car came to a sudden stop. We were in an alley and there was a tall man that was clearly the demon, holding up a mortal by the neck.

Piper got out of the car, "Hey! Tall dark and creepy!" She shouted and he turned around. She flashed her hands at him and he turned a terrible shade of red before he started morphing between larger and smaller.

"He's gonna blow!" Cole shouted, and he, Phoebe, and I ducked into the car. The demon exploded and covered Piper and the car in green goop.

She got into the car and smiled, "Next!" Cole gave an exasperated look to Phoebe, and we went home so Piper could scry for more evil. When we arrived at the manor, Prue was coming down the stairs with Paige, "Hey," Piper grinned at her, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know," Paige said, "Just on my lunch break, and I thought I'd stop by."

"So I was showing her the book," Prue smiled.

"It's still there, right?" I asked Paige suspiciously.

"Yes, Dad," She rolled her eyes at me.

"Just checking," I said, but I touched on her thoughts anyway. She was definitely telling the truth. With that, Piper nodded and headed up the stairs.

"Where ya going?" Prue asked.

"To the attic to scry," Piper answered, but she didn't stop moving.

"Why is Piper scrying?" Prue asked.

"What's scrying?" Paige asked.

"Oh, honey," Phoebe said to Paige, "Why don't you swing by after work, and I can help you with that," Paige nodded, and she left.

"And Piper?" Prue asked with a little concern.

"Oh," Phoebe groaned, "I really don't want to worry you with this. You have have so much to do already."

"Okay," Prue flared her eyes, "but now you have me worried, what's going on?"

"I'm going to go check on Piper," I said, and Cole nodded and followed me up to the attic. Piper was scrying already, and I walked up and put my hand on her shoulder, "Piper, what's this all really about? You kind of appear to be having a nervous breakdown."

"Not to mention, you're trying to get all of us killed," Cole added aggressively.

"Cole," I hissed at him, "not helpful."

He scrunched up his nose, but he took a step back. Piper looked up at me, "What is the problem with getting a little proactive?"

"A little proactive isn't a problem," I said, "but parading around San Francisco half cocked and blind is a problem. What if you scry for evil, and it happens to be the Source? You can't freeze him, and he regenerates when you blow him up. He will kill you if you don't have your sisters with you."

"I have Phoebe," Piper argued, "and Cole."

"Two witches and a half a demon does not the power of three make," I said, knowing full well that it wouldn't make a difference coming from me if it didn't make a difference when Phoebe said it.

"No," Piper said, "but we have the power to fight off anything we come across."

"You don't, though," I said, "I only gave one example of an evil that could kill you. There are plenty of others out there that you can't even imagine yet. You can't just charge into the horde head first."

"Why not? The demons do it to us," Piper said.

"And how does that always end?" I asked. That gave Piper pause, and then Leo orbed in.

"Hey guys," He sighed at us, "could you give us a minute?"

"Sure," Cole grunted, "maybe you can talk some sense into her," I shook my head, and then Cole and I left the attic.

"You know," I mused at Cole as we descended the stairs, "you are a very angry individual."

"I'm really not," Cole mumbled.

"I know," I said, "you're just worried. I get that."

"Good," Cole said, "at least someone does."

I smiled at Cole, "Don't worry, I understand you very well. You were actually my 'Charmed crush' back in my world."

"Was I really?" Cole grinned back at me, "I'm so flattered."

"I'm glad," I laughed as we got to the front room.

"How'd it go?" Phoebe asked.

"Not well," I said, "she's still scrying, or she was when I left the room. Who knows if Leo can talk her out of this."

"I think it's going to take a mighty event to get her back to normal," Phoebe said.

"Well hopefully we can avoid the one that happened in my world," I said, and Phoebe gave me a sideways glance, "Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself. Where'd Prue go?"

"She was called by the agency," Phoebe said, "She's a busy one."

"I'm glad she's embracing the photographer in her," I said, "She really enjoys it."

Piper came stomping down the stairs with her map in hand, "Come on, we've got work to do!"

"Piper," Phoebe groaned, "Piper, Cole and I do not support you in this. If you insist on going through with it, you're going in alone."

Piper paused and looked at her for a moment, then she nodded, "Mkay, I'll see you at home," She said.

"Oh, I told you that wouldn't work," Phoebe slapped Cole's stomach, and we headed out to the car.

We arrived outside a warehouse that I recognized immediately.

"Oh no," I mumbled to myself as everyone got out of the car. Phoebe gave me a concerned look.

"So where is it?" She asked.

Then we heard a man yelling inside. Piper shouted, "Stand back!" Cole moved like he was going to conjure an energy ball, but Piper froze him, "Crap…" She mumbled.

"Uhh," Phoebe said, "Piper!"

"Yeah, I see!" Piper groaned. She removed her jacket, loosened her arms, and flashed her hands at the warehouse door again. It blew up, Piper gave a triumphant laugh, and a man came running out. He was followed closely by the three Furies, as I had expected, "Oh no ya don't!" Piper shouted at them. She waved her hands at them, but nothing happened to them; the man who was running away was frozen, "Th-th-they're immune to my freeze! Phoebe!"

"Unfortunately Cole is not!" Phoebe shouted, "Piper blow them up!"

"No, Piper don't!" I shouted. The Furies all turned on me, "Uh-oh."

The Furies jumped at me, and one of them breathed in me before Phoebe levitated over and kicked her off of me. Cole unfroze as they were going to attack Phoebe, and he shot an energy ball and killed one of them. The other two hissedand smoked out. The man unfroze and ran away, and Cole looked at me with alarm when I started hacking up a lung.

"Jeremy!" Phoebe ran to my side, "are you okay?"

I held up my finger and coughed up as much of the smoke as I could, "I think so," I wheezed.

Cole eyed me suspiciously, and I can only assume how worried I looked. Piper walked over to me, and the pair of them helped me into the car. Cole drove us home so that Piper could check the book, but Cole tried to explain to her that they were the Furies.

"Like Greek mythology Furies? Dog faced women from Hell?" Piper asked.

"Modern day knock-offs," Cole said, "but the idea's the same."

"Doesn't that make them good?" Phoebe asked as I coughed again. At this point I knew I was infected, but for whatever reason I couldn't tell them. I understood why Cole didn't tell them that Piper was infected in the show – to teach her the consequences of her mad hunting, but would he really let me suffer to teach her a lesson?

"No," Cole answered Phoebe, "they don't differentiate between a petty thief and a murderer. Anyone that commits an evil act, no matter how big or how small, is one of their targets," Yes. Yes he would let me suffer to teach her a lesson.

"Well let's get to the book so we can vanquish their sorry asses!" Piper said. I coughed again, "Are you okay, honey?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

"I knew we shouldn't have brought you," Piper shook her head.

"Oh not now, honey," Phoebe said.

Previously, it had amused me how often the sisters said "honey," but now it was starting to get on my nerves. I kept myself from yelling at them, but I felt a burning rage in my chest that had no reason being there, and now I was worried because the way they cured Piper of being a Fury was helping her deal with her "unexpressed" rage; I wasn't sure how they might help me. They'd have to vanquish me.

When we got back to the house, that scumbag guy from Paige's work was lying on the couch, and Leo, Paige, and Prue were standing in the hall waiting for us. Paige's boobs were thrice their normal size, and Prue did not look pleased at all.

"What the hell happened here?" Piper asked.

"Paige stole the Book of Shadows," Prue said.

"You did what!?" Cole, Piper, and Phoebe asked.

"I just wanted to help my friend," Paige said defensively; she tried to cover her boobs.

Phoebe walked up to her slowly and opened her sweater, "Uh-huh," She muttered, and then she looked at the man on the couch.

"You stole our family heritage so that you could perform magical plastic surgery!?" Piper shouted.

"No!" Paige said quickly, "I was trying to teach him a lesson because he's such a sleaze bag, and this-"

"Is the back fire," Phoebe sighed.

"Back fire?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Piper said with an insane flair of her eyes, "When you cast a spell for personal gain there's always a magical back fire!"

"You stupid bitch!" I shouted, and I backhanded Paige across with my left hand; she stumbled back a step.

"Jeremy!?" Prue asked. I coughed.

"How could you be so infernally ignorant!? You didn't even **bother** asking for help?" I yelled at Paige. She took a step back, and she looked absolutely horrified.

The sisters all looked at me for a moment, "What's with him?" Prue asked Phoebe as they stepped between Paige and me.

"I don't know," Phoebe said with concern, "Alright, you two," She pointed to Piper and Prue, "deal with her," She pointed at Paige.

"But-" Piper tried to argue.

"No buts!" Phoebe shouted, "Jeremy, come with me to check the book."

I felt an unbearable rage at being told what to do, but the logical me really wanted to help her figure out what happened to me, and then the man started waking up.

"What the," He asked, "Where-" Then he saw Paige and her boobs, "Well hell-o."

I punched him square in the jaw. He fell over the couch, and I started walking around the couch, "Jeremy!" Piper shouted.

"Leave him alone," Cole said grimly from the back, "He's becoming a Fury."

"What!?" Phoebe asked.

I smiled at Cole as I noticed my claws had grown in, "You knew this would happen. Why didn't you tell them before?"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Cole said, "and you know that."

"No," I said, "neither of us do," The man stood up and got ready to fight me.

"Alright, Skippy," He said, "Let's dance."

I used his thoughts to know where he'd swing first; I dodged and kneed him in the groin. I moved to stomp on his face, and Cole shot a light energy ball at me.

"Cole!" Leo exclaimed.

"What you want me to let him kill him?" Cole asked.

"That wasn't very nice," I said to Cole.

"Jeremy, come back to us," Phoebe said, "We can help you."

"No one can help me," I said. I felt a tear forming in my eye, "Not anymore."

The other Furies smoked in around me, "No!" Piper yelled. She flashed her hands, but nothing happened because they were immune to her powers. They grabbed me and we smoked out.

"Welcome to our circle," One of the Furies said to me, "Our newest kin."

I smiled. The Furies started painting my face as part of my "initiation," and they took my clothes off and gave me a red loin cloth. They chanted something before introducing themselves to me. The one with the dark hair was called Mira, and the one with brown hair was called Pela.

"I am Jeremy," I said gravely; my face betrayed no emotion.

"To be fully initiated," Pela said, "you must have your first kill."

Then I felt Cole in the Halliwell Manor, and I heard the girls chanting. I cocked my head curiously, "I know where evil dwells," I said, "but we cannot strike there without caution."

"Where?" Mira asked.

"The Halliwell Manor," I said simply.

"The Charmed Ones?" Pela asked, "But they are the most powerful force of good. What evil dwells with them?"

"The once youngest of them beds a demon," I explained, "He has a hundred years of evil behind him."

"Such high goals," Pela smiled, "Perhaps someone smaller might be a better target."

"No," I said quickly, "I know how the Charmed Ones work. I know how to beat them."

"How could you know that?" Mira asked.

"For eleven years I've studied them," I said, "I know them."

"They've only been Charmed for four years," Mira argued.

"No," I said, "they've been Charmed their whole lives, they just didn't know until four years ago, but I have known their whole lives," Technically, it wasn't a lie, "and I know how the bond works. We can take out their demon, and the Charmed Ones all at once."

"Why would we take down the Charmed Ones?" Mira asked, "They have done nothing evil."

"They will," I said.

"Let us do it," Pela said.

"What?" Mira asked.

"Let us see what he's capable of," Pela responded, "if he truly knows the Charmed Ones so well, we can't lose."

"And if he doesn't?" Mira asked.

"Then we leave him for them to vanquish," Pela said simply.

"Agreed," I growled.

"Then what is the plan?" Mira asked.

"One of you must go in first," I said, "and create a diversion. The other two of us will strike while they're distracted and take down the eldest sister; she's the biggest threat. The demon will be distracted by the cries of his hundred years of torment, and we'll move on to Piper; her powers do not affect Furies, so she won't be a threat to us. Phoebe has no dangerous active power, and Paige is new to the craft, so after Piper we smoke the demon, then we move to Phoebe when she's in mourning, and finally Paige."

"It actually sounds like a good plan," Mira said in amazement.

"It truly does," Pela grinned, "Mira will be the decoy."

"Why me?" Mira asked.

"Because I am the leader, and I'll need Jeremy to fight with me," Pela said.

Mira frowned, but she bowed her head and smoked out. Pela looked me over with delight, "Come," She commanded, and we smoked out moments after Mira. We smoked in behind Prue. Pela roundhouse kicked her in the back, and she hit her head on the staircase and fell unconscious. Piper shouted and flicked her hands at Pela, but nothing happened. Pela pounced at her, and Cole shot an energy ball at her; she was vanquished. I didn't see Mira, and it was vastly apparent to me that she had been vanquished already.

"Jeremy," Piper said with her hands up, "this isn't you. You're a good witch, remember? I couldn't freeze you."

"I thought he was-" Paige whispered to Phoebe.

Phoebe waved her hands at Paige, "Hush you," She hissed back.

"Jeremy," Piper cooed, "you're not angry at us; you don't want to fight us."

I backed away as Piper took a step toward me, "No…" I pleaded.

"Your anger is from your world," Piper said as Cole helped Prue to her feet.

"And there's nothing we can do to change it," Phoebe said suddenly, and a look of understanding came over Prue's face as well.

"We are so sorry," Prue said, "but we can't fix your past."

"No…" I repeated, and tears started forming in my eyes. I put my hands to my head and started shaking my head, as I backed up to the wall.

"But I can make you a promise," Piper said with such conviction that it earned her curious looks from her sisters and Cole, "I will do everything, **everything**, in my power to keep you from having to return to that Hell. You will never see your brother again, you will never go back to that place; I will fight the Elders with all of my might, I will fight everyone who says otherwise, to keep you here."

I could feel tears forming in my eyes as I watched Piper walking toward me, "How can you promise that?" My voice cracked, "You don't have the power to promise that."

Leo orbed in at that moment, "Actually she does," He said.

"What?" I whimpered, as I felt hope stirring in the pit of my stomach.

"Yeah," Phoebe said, "what?"

"The Elders have agreed that it is up to the Charmed Ones where your fate lies," Leo explained, "as they are the only ones with the power to send you back to your world."

"See?" Piper said as she took another step toward me, "My sisters wouldn't dare fight me on this."

"She's right," Prue said.

"My vote would be to keep you here," Paige smiled.

Phoebe hesitated, but then she shrugged, "May as well keep it unanimous," She smiled at me, "You're here to stay."

I started crying, "I," I muttered as I felt the power of the Fury leave me, and I could once again hear the sisters' thoughts, "I don't…"

Piper pulled me into a hug, "I know, honey," I laughed through my tears at her using the word "honey" again. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige joined us in a group hug, and I felt happy like I hadn't felt happy in two years. I felt loved like I had never felt loved before, "This is your home now, and I will always protect you."

I cried myself to sleep that night; I didn't know this then, but later Piper told me she stayed up and watched me from the stairs. The next day I woke before anyone else. I wandered groggily into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. A few moments later I heard the shower upstairs start; I guessed it was Prue, as she was always the first one up. I drank my coffee and sulked over the events of the day before. I kind of thought once I joined this world I'd eventually be demonized, but I never imagined the amount of absolute hatred you feel when you become a demon. I'd never felt such a strong emotion before, save for when I loved Timmy, and that was such a good feeling that when I felt that entire amount of feeling but as hatred, I felt like I wanted to stop living. I wanted them to vanquish me. I was thankful that they didn't now, but at the time it was just unbearable; then they promised to keep me here. I smiled absently, for I'd never have to go home. I'd never have to see those monsters again.

I was halfway through my coffee when Piper walked in, "Oh," I said surprised, "I thought you were Prue."

Piper smiled at me, "I know we're sisters, but I was growing to think at least you could tell us apart."

I smiled at her, "Good morning, Piper."

"Good morning, honey," Piper said, "How are you feeling?" She asked as she pulled down a cookie sheet and started pulling supplies to make cookies out of the refrigerator.

"Better," I said, "I'm so sorry," I said suddenly.

"Honey," Piper came around the counter and pulled me into a hug, and I started crying again, "Oh honey, shh. It's okay, we've all been demons before, and we've all tried to kill each other. Well, except for Paige, but she'll catch up."

I laughed, "I know," I sniffed, "I'm just not used to this."

"Well it has to be a culture shock for sure," Piper said, and we pulled out of the hug; she looked at me.

"That's not what I mean," I looked away. I was never very good at eye contact.

"Then what do you mean?" Piper asked, trying to catch my eyes again.

"People being nice to me," I said, "People caring about me; I'm not used to people truly wanting me around."

Piper nodded, "I see," She said as she moved back to the cookie makings, "Well get used to it because I refuse to send you home, and if it takes the Power of Three, then you know as well as I that they'll never have it."

I wiped my nose on my sleeve, "Thank you," I smiled, "so how bad was I?"

"Oh I've seen worse," Piper smiled.

"I've been worse," Phoebe yawned as she came into the room, "Where's Prue?"

"That's what I asked," I smiled at Phoebe.

"Look," Phoebe said seriously as she sat next to me, "I don't like the idea of messing with time and altering reality," She said and Piper started mixing supplies, "but you did save Prue's life, and you do make a valid point about basically memorizing the Book of Shadows."

"I think you may have lost me," I said.

"Yeah," Phoebe said, "I'm not really all that great at the whole apologizing thing."

"I know," I smiled, "It's okay, you acted rationally. I totally understand the trepidation to affect the future again."

"Good," Phoebe said, "because if we're going to be living together indefinitely, then you and I need to be able to get along."

"I think we'll get along just fine," I said.

"And us?" Prue asked as she came into the room.

"I assumed we were already fine," I said.

"Good," Prue smiled. Piper put her first batch in the oven, "Ooo cookies."

"They're for Paige," Piper said.

"Oh?" Prue asked.

"Yeah," Piper said, "I was kind of hard on her during my rampage, and I should apologize, and I figured Jeremy could come along as well."

"Yeah," I side-smiled, "I hit her good didn't I?" Piper smiled.

"That's big of you," Phoebe said.

"It was supposed to be your idea," I nudged Phoebe.

"Oh," She said, "Well then you're welcome," She said to the two of us.

Piper smiled at her, "Supposed to be doesn't mean it was."

"No, but I'm gonna still take credit for it," Phoebe said in that silly baby voice she often does. Piper smacked her with the spatula, "Ow!" Phoebe laughed. Then Prue laughed. Then Piper laughed. Then I laughed.


End file.
